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and receive tools they can use immediately. That
means your book must be liberally sprinkled with
anecdotes and really useful, practical, hands-on ex-
ercises - invented or re-invented by you the author.
What Publishers Are Looking For
Publishers, on behalf of the public, are all look-
ing for the next mega best seller, and the bigger
companies all have acquisitions editors. As the
name implies, their job is to acquire manuscripts
for their publishing house. That means they know
what sort of books work for them. They stay in
touch with agents, read proposals and meet face to
face with authors. Acquisitions editors are very
busy people and don’t have time to waste. The fol-
lowing advice was generously provided by my
own editor at Workman Publishing in New York.
“I look for a book that offers a promise and de-
livers on it. If a person has a ‘problem’ they need
help with (an irascible toddler, a boring dinner
repertoire, an unclear sense of personal finance, re-
sentful stepchildren, too much clutter), your book
must help solve the problem.”
“It’s important that the audience know they have
the problem and be seeking help—so they’ll go to
the bookstore or online to find help. I got a solid
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